WhereOWhere

Jake, thanks again. I hope you will have time to offer a summary of thoughts tomorrow as the cruise ends (good/bad, do’s/don’ts, value/avoid, crowds/none, best foods/not so, etc) and maybe advice on dining times. Did anyone use pools or too cold?
 

i think we make four-star next trip, so we are only several hundred days behind you on HAL, our first cruise line, but not the only. 

Cheers! 
Dave, aka WhereOWhere
 

Thanks for the comments Sharon. I sure agree that the wine lists aren’t a good indicator of what’s on board. It’s a challenge getting to all the bars (plus restaurants) to get to ID favorites on cruises these days. It would be nice if some smart HAL employee could figure out a way to get good real-time info! (Inventory management???)

Thanks again Jake. Your insights are really helping get ready for the cruise! Based on sea conditions, I’m thinking a bit more cool weather wear….

Thanks again Jake. Any chance you’ve seen a wine list at a bar other than the James Suckling list? We enjoy red wines by the glass (with our package) and it’s difficult to know what ls actually on the ship, at the various bars. 
 

i have noted that Canaletto has some wines not on the JS list…..

Hi & thanks for the Live report. We are on the June 3 out of Montreal. I see all seven nights on our cruise showing as “Smart Casual” on the itinerary for us. 
 

Question, are you on a longer cruise? And does your itinerary show formal nights? I assume that’s the reference to Dressy you show from the daily planner Monday.

Thanks in advance. None of the guys in our party of eight want to take jackets if there is no dressy night! 

We are scheduled on the Constellation TransAtlantic for Oct '22.  Like many of you, we are watching for updates.  The current cruise schedule is loaded up, through the end of 2022 and there are a couple stops in Cadiz (but no time for a dry dock noted).  It looks like the 2020 dry dock was scheduled for Cadiz (like Infinity just this February).  So I wonder if all the parts are sitting there, if Infinity used the retrofit kit, or there is some other plan.  

Here's hoping Celebrity keeps the Constellation and does the refit.  😀

We are ready to cruise and will sure get the CV19 vaccination as soon as available here in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have had 4 cruises cancelled and are currently booked on 3, but not starting back until next Fall. Darn!

Hey! Here’s an interesting tidbit. Some cruise ships are on the move!  We are watching Princess Ruby, Majestic, Royal that departed Manila and look to be headed toward North America West Coast!!!!! Seems early but gets us excited. Maybe other cruise lines are into the positioning too for training. Wish there. Was a CC board watching this!

So we did the Rome to Venice run in May on HAL. And upgraded to the Elite bev pkg the first night at dinner. I think the cost was a bit higher than I planned, maybe $15pp per day. Maybe plus the tip too.

But in retrospect, I would sure do it again. We were always into the pricier wines, and as noted above it you go over the limit you get billed for the whole wine enchilada. One tip: don't do it at dinner. Find a bar that you intend to frequent and do it there. They know what they are doing!

This is our third cruise on HAL and overall the Signature Bev Pkg is pretty good. You can get almost anything for cocktails as long as you don't need really top shelf liquors. The wines are ok, but I recall several good wines that are probably covered by Elite and would incur an additive charge to the Signature. HAL is good that way; you just get charged the incremental amount over the allowed package limit. Many cruise lines (like Princess I think) charge the whole thing if you are over. Hope that is still the case.

So since we are California winos, a modest up charge for Elite is something we are interested in. Say$10-12 per person per day.

I'm wondering if there has been any change to HAL's stance on upgrading from Signature to Elite beverage package since the postings here last summer. We are on the May 12, 2018 sailing Rome - Venice with a "Signature Beverage Package Promo" listed. Since we enjoy wines, the Elite seems like the way to go. Anyone have a recent experience that might help us out?